Supercouple Sessions
Inside Shawn & Belle’s Rocky ‘DAYS’ Romance With Brandon Beemer & Martha Madison (VIDEO)
As the offspring of two of Days of our Lives‘ most iconic supercouples, Belle Black (Martha Madison) and Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer) were destined to be together, but their path to romance has been a rocky one.
“I don’t think that Shawn and Belle have ever been happy with us,” reflects Madison, who has played the role since 2004. “I think the longest stint where we were ‘happily married,’ I don’t think we had a single love scene. I had a producer once say to me, because I was asking, ‘When are Shawn and Belle going to be happy?’ And he said, ‘Martha, the kiss of death in this industry is to be part of a happy couple.’ So now I’m like, ‘Break them up!'”
Broken up is their current status, with Belle turning her attention to EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel), and Shawn falling into bed with Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu). However, their portrayers still think “Shelle” is endgame. “There’s nothing else better out there than her,” declares Beemer. Madison chimes in, “I think they have to fall back in love under better terms, if that makes sense. Why are we rooting for this couple who are so terrible to each other? I think that’s been an obstacle that I would love to see addressed.”
Chris Haston / NBC / Everett Collection
The actors feel the audience is also rooting for Shawn and Belle to make it work. “I think it’s because they’re an extension of these huge supercouples that, in my opinion, made DAYS what it is,” observes Madison. “Bo [Brady, Peter Reckell] and Hope Brady [Kristian Alfonso] and Marlena [Evans, Deidre Hall] and John [Black, the late Drake Hogestyn], and this was the height of the ’90s, and this is when soaps were everything, and we’re the next generation. We’re the extension of that. I think people watch daytime because they like to see romance and love and family dynamics, and it’s escapism for them. So, the romantic supercouple is important, and I think we’ve embodied that for a long time.”
Adds Beemer, “We also we carry it out, too, as two actors and people that work well together, that enjoy working together. And we get good stories.”
In this installment of Supercouples Sessions, Beemer and Madison reflect on their most memorable “Shelle” moments, reveal their dream storyline, look back Belle and Shawn’s weddings, and share how it feels to be recasts in their roles. “Still today, every time I come back, I’ll get a DM or something like, ‘You know, we still love Kirsten [Storms, ex-Belle; Maxie Jones, General Hospital] better than you,’ or whatever,” says Madison. “And I’m like, ‘That’s awesome. She’s on ABC.’ Major props to her. She set an extremely high bar, and I’ve spent 20 years trying to reach it.”
To hear their memories of Drake Hogestyn, their feelings about being a part of the legendary show as it turns 60, what’s next for the popular pair, and so much more, check out the video above.
Days of our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock
